If you have read my previous posts, I'm on the search for a replacement for my Cetaphil moisturizer and this cream was one of the three moisturizers that I bought to try.
So, today I will be reviewing the Stiefel Physiogel Hypoallergenic AI Cream:
It is supposed to be store below 30C
It is said to help protect skin from free radicals, regenerates skin protective barrier, helps relieve redness in dry sensitive skin, and is non-comedogenic
First Impression:
So, I bought this because Bubzbeauty did a review on this, and she said this was an excellent product for her sensitive skin when it broke out into terrible rashes all over her face.
Therefore I decided to try it. The price was pretty expensive to me, but I gave it a shot.
So, when I test skincare products, I do it for at least a week. If I get a bad reaction then I will stop using it.
For the first week, the first thing I noticed was the consistency. This cream has a really good consistency. It is thin but very hydrating and smooth. Therefore, you don't need a lot for your face. A pea size amount will cover your whole face.
However, it did give me a shining oily appearance when I put it on, which is common with any moisturizer that has glycerin in it. But I don't like it when moisturizers give me an oily looking face. -__-
The good thing was that my sensitive skin did not react to it. If it did react to it, it would barely sting after exfoliation, which is something I am concerned about, but didn't bother me much at the time.
To me, this passed the keeping test, the test that says okay, it works well enough, I don't need to return it.
What do I think of it now?
After that first week, I went on to test another moisturizer, so I didn't use it for about a week.
Then I decided to try it on for longer for at least another 2 weeks. And I did get results.
The super sensitive skin around my mouth did decrease in redness, I'd say about 30-40% which was not bad. I was happy to see improvement =)
But the problem was the appearance. I still had a very shining oily look to my skin, which really bothered me. It's not like it felt sticky, but it was unpleasant to see and feel the slickness on my face. I have an oily forehead and nose, which did not help with the oily appearance.
And then I started breaking out slightly on my cheekbone area. Now I'm not sure if it was this cream, but like I've said in another post, I don't breakout at the cheeks at all. It's usually my T-zone and/or forehead. The pimples I got were not large, but very small and non-irritating (are they even pimples at all?) and the texture of my skin did not look good with all those little bumps.
To me, this wasn't worth it, and I believed I could find better. So I stopped using it. The cream itself, I can use on my body so I will probably use the rest for that.
Do I recommend Stiefel Physiogel Hypoallergenic AI Cream?
This product was especially made for people who had reactive, dry, sensitive skin.
However, unfortunately, it didn't work for me =(
My problem sensitive skin showed improvement but the rest of my face received negative side effects which I wasn't happy about.
The fact that this doesn't irritate my skin and does improve part of it, shows that it works to some extent, therefore, I do recommend people to give it a shot, however, they should probably spot treat with this cream and not put it on their entire face.
Personally, I'm looking for a moisturizer that not only helps my problem sensitive reactive spots on my face, but works well for the rest of my face too! This is quite a challenge if you are a combination skin person like me. And if you are looking for a moisturizer that works for your entire face, I don't recommend this product. However, if you do have very dry and sensitive skin for most or all of your face, this is a good product to try.
I hope I helped anyone who is considering to purchase this cream or wants to try something new and hope it works for you! =D Good luck!
